INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER “These measures are offensive in every way possible,” Inatai Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy Director Nick Allen said at the briefing. “…If passed, these initiatives would result in laws in Washington that place our state’s most vulnerable kids at great risk of harm, that invade the privacy of all girls who play sports, and the privacy of Washington students who need to share confidential information with trusted counselors at their schools, that reject and ostracize trans kids, and overall make schools less safe for our students.”

PRESS RELEASE Washington Academy of Family Physicians (WAFP), the largest medical specialty organization in Washington state, representing approximately 3,900 family physicians, residents, and students has taken a position to oppose two Let’s Go Washington-sponsored ballot initiatives (IL26-001 and IL26-638).

SOUTH SEATTLE EMERALD The MAGA backers of these initiatives want voters to think these initiatives are about helping parents, but it's really about distracting us from real issues, like the higher costs of groceries and housing. Initiatives IL26-001 and IL26-638 threaten confidential student support systems, dismantle essential mental-health privacy, and impose unprecedented bodily surveillance on young people who want to play sports.

SEATTLE TIMES We are a few of the more than 100 Washington pediatricians, family doctors and nurses who oppose I-638’s new sex inspection requirements. The initiative is a government mandate forcing us to conduct medically unnecessary and potentially harmful tests on elementary, middle and high school girls. This includes genital exams, and genetic or hormone tests, as a new part of sports physicals. 

SEATTLE TIMES I’ve worked with survivors of child abuse for over a decade. I can attest that confidentiality, privacy and having safe adults to turn to are crucial for abuse disclosures. For many children experiencing abuse or harm at home, a trusted adult at school may be the only person who recognizes that something is wrong and can help connect them with support.   

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW Initiative 638, a ballot measure before Washington state voters is cloaked in a false narrative about making girls’ sports safe, but it would do the opposite by requiring all girls who want to play sports to undergo a medically unnecessary invasive genital exam or costly genetic testing.

THE COLUMBIAN EDITORIAL BOARD Initiative 001 on the November ballot is a confusing measure that requires some thoughtful analysis. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends a “no” vote. As always, this is merely a recommendation, designed to provide information and generate discussion. The Columbian suggests that voters examine the issue and weigh the consequences before casting an informed ballot.

THE COLUMBIAN EDITORIAL BOARD Washington’s history of inclusion for all students in the state’s public schools is under threat from Initiative 638, which will be on the Nov. 3 ballot. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends a no vote on this measure that we see as mean-spirited and promoting an ugly double-standard, as it applies only to girls and not boys.

PRESS RELEASE This weekend voters will start seeing new ads opposing I-001 and I-638. Each ad illustrates the dangers of these initiatives, bankrolled by MAGA mega-donor Brian Heywood, to Washington’s children.

UNDERSCORE NATIVE NEWS  “Therefore, be it resolved, that ATNI strongly opposes Washington Initiatives I-001 and I-638 and finds that these measures are inconsistent with the Tribes’ commitment to protecting children, strengthening families, and ensuring the well-being of all young people,” the text of the resolution reads.

CASCADIA DAILY NEWS I wasn’t a big team sports person growing up, but I did try soccer when I was really young. If this policy is approved, requiring young girls to be examined by a doctor to get proof of their gender, many girls won’t even bother trying sports. Makes you wonder if that’s what supporters of the initiative really want: an unlevel playing field, where boys have easy access to healthy activities like sports, but there are more barriers for girls. 

PRESS RELEASE Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians joined a growing list of Washington State leaders and organizations opposing two ballot initiatives sponsored by MAGA donor Brian Heywood and his PAC Let’s Go WA.

THE OLYMPIAN The Olympia City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 6 to collectively oppose two initiatives on the upcoming Nov. 3 general election ballot that residents said, if passed, could have negative consequences for communities across the state. Several residents spoke against the initiatives at the meeting. No one spoke in favor of them. The first initiative the council voted to collectively oppose was I-001, concerning parental rights relating to their children in public schools.

CASCADIA DAILY NEWS "In the name of parental authority, it puts many students at risk of severe punishment, and thereby effectively denies them the ability to ask for help or support from the only adults they may trust. [...] Initiative 638 pretends to protect girls from competition with trans girls in sports, but at the barely mentioned…

YAKIMA HERALD initiative 001 is being sold as “parents’ rights,” but, if approved by voters, it would weaken parents’ rights by removing immediate parental notification if their kid is the victim of a crime at school.” “I-638 is the most extreme MAGA initiative of its kind…

CASCADIA DAILY “That’s why it’s so troubling to me that there’s an initiative on our ballots here in Washington state (I-001) that, if approved, would have a chilling effect on young people seeking help from trusted adults.”

SALISH CURRENT “What do we mean when we say youth sports should be fair? We accept that young athletes have advantages and disadvantages unrelated to gender. Some girls have access to private coaching, year-round training, expensive equipment and extensive family support. Others do not. Some are exceptionally tall for basketball, naturally fast for track or possess unusual strength, coordination or endurance. We don’t disqualify them because those characteristics may give them an advantage."

PRESS RELEASE I-638 would force every girl who wants to play a school sport to have a doctor verify her sex, often through an invasive physical exam, every time she needs a sports physical--that is disturbing and totally unacceptable. And I-001, sold as 'parental rights,' would actually weaken the requirement that schools notify parents about crimes against their kids at school. These initiatives won't make a single kid safer or a single game fairer…

THE STRANGER I play varsity high school girls basketball, and if I were old enough to vote, I would vote NO to stop ballot Initiative 638 from passing this November.  To enforce excluding trans girls from sports, I-638 would require all girls to submit to sex inspections before being allowed to play any sport in elementary, middle, and high school. I outright reject claims by the MAGA mega-millionaire behind I-638, Brian Heywood, that this initiative is protecting my safety!

FAVS NEWS The truth is that these initiatives aren’t about protecting girls, or parental rights. They masquerade under this language because who would object to such things? The truth is that these initiatives dehumanize our fellow human beings, who are equally made in the image of God. There are other truths, too. That transgender persons are far more likely to be the victims of crime than the perpetrators.